Mouse Speed & Acceleration Test
Track how fast your cursor moves in real time, in pixels per second, then run the matched-swipe test for a best-effort read on whether pointer acceleration is on. Everything runs in your browser.
Live cursor speed
Move your mouse in the pad to measure how fast the cursor travels.
Move your mouse here to measure speed
Acceleration check (best-effort)
Drag across the pad twice using the same physical hand distance — once slowly, once as fast as you can. If acceleration is on, the fast swipe will cover more on-screen distance than the slow one.
Press, drag across, and release — do a slow swipe, then a fast one
A browser only sees motion after the OS has processed it, so this is a best-effort indicator. For consistent aim, turn off "Enhance pointer precision" on Windows or the pointer acceleration curve on macOS.
Cursor speed is how fast the pointer travels across your screen, in pixels per second (px/s). Three things set it: how fast your hand moves, the mouse’s DPI (counts per inch of physical movement), and the pointer-speed or in-game sensitivity slider. Pointer acceleration complicates that — with it on, a quick movement sends the cursor further than a slow one covering the same physical distance.
The speed meter times the cursor between pointer samples, showing current and peak speed and a graph of the last few seconds. Add your screen’s pixel density (DPI/PPI) and it also estimates physical speed across the glass in cm/s and in/s. The acceleration check is separate: swipe the same physical distance slowly, then quickly, and it compares how far the cursor travelled each time. Everything runs locally — no motion data leaves your browser.
A browser only sees motion after the operating system has applied its pointer curve, so treat the acceleration verdict as an indicator, not a measurement. Cursor speed in px/s is device-independent, but it is not raw DPI — for the counts your mouse actually reports, use the Mouse DPI Analyzer; to check buttons and scroll wheel, use the Mouse Tester.
Reading the distance ratio
The verdict compares the on-screen distance of your fast swipe against your slow one. The fast swipe must be clearly faster — about 1.8× the slow swipe’s speed — for the comparison to count.
| Distance ratio | Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 1.1 | Acceleration appears OFF | Both swipes cover the same distance — a fixed hand-to-cursor mapping |
| 1.1 – 1.2 | Borderline | Too close to call; retry with a slower slow swipe and a faster fast one |
| ≥ 1.2 | Acceleration appears ON | The fast swipe travelled further — the OS is scaling movement by speed |
| 2.0 or more | Strong acceleration | Typical of Windows "Enhance pointer precision" or the default macOS curve |
Why do gamers turn acceleration off?
Acceleration is convenient on a desktop — small motions stay precise while a quick flick crosses the whole screen — but it breaks the fixed relationship between hand movement and cursor movement that precise aiming relies on. With it off, the same flick always lands the same distance, so players build muscle memory and repeat shots consistently. Windows calls the feature "Enhance pointer precision"; on macOS the pointer has always used an acceleration curve that the Tracking Speed slider does not disable.
How to turn off mouse acceleration?
- Windows: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Mouse → Additional mouse settings → Pointer Options, then untick "Enhance pointer precision".
- macOS: the Tracking Speed slider does not remove acceleration; disabling the curve needs a Terminal command (defaults write .GlobalPreferences com.apple.mouse.scaling -1) and a re-login, or a small utility that manages it.
- In games, prefer the title’s "raw input" option so it reads the mouse directly and bypasses the OS pointer curve.
- After changing a setting, run the matched-swipe test again to confirm the cursor now travels the same distance regardless of speed.